contumacy
Americannoun
plural
contumaciesnoun
-
obstinate and wilful rebelliousness or resistance to authority; insubordination; disobedience
-
the wilful refusal of a person to appear before a court or to comply with a court order
Etymology
Origin of contumacy
1150–1200; Middle English contumacie < Latin contumācia, equivalent to contumāc-, stem of contumāx unyielding, stubborn ( con- con- + -tum- of uncertain sense, though connected by classical authors with both contemnere to regard with contempt and tumēre to swell) + -āx adj. suffix) + -ia -ia
Vocabulary lists containing contumacy
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Shelley and Sir William Sirs: Shelley was dismissed for contumacy.
From Time Magazine Archive
She was "busted" out of Bryn Mawr for "deplorable contumacy of conduct."
From Time Magazine Archive
"This is the most outrageous case of contumacy I have ever seen," bellowed Lawyer Rogge, obtaining a recess until March 20.
From Time Magazine Archive
Even more remarkable as a manifestation of contumacy is the case of Guillem Garric, held in prison for complicity in the attempt to destroy the records at Carcassonne in 1284.
From A History of The Inquisition of The Middle Ages; volume II by Lea, Henry Charles
Though Rupert himself had obstinately declined to mend his fortunes by marriage, he seems to have been very anxious to overcome his cousin's contumacy.
From Rupert Prince Palatine by Scott, Eva
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
